Exclusive: Fox renews Karl Rove contract through 2016

Fox News Channel is expected to announce shortly that Karl Rove has signed a multi-year deal to remain a Fox contributor through the 2016 election.

The contract assures the ratings-leader cable news network that it will retain one of its most popular commentators, and someone whose views continually make news, especially in the heat of a campaign.

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POLITICO interview with Karl Rove

Rove on FOX News on Election Night

Rove appears on a variety of Fox programs including “Hannity,” where he and Sean Hannity talked Wednesday night about President Barack Obama's gun control plan, and the assault weapons ban.

On Wednesday, Bill Shine, Fox’s executive vice president of programming, announced that the network had added former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), a former presidential candidate, to its roster of contributors.

Roger Ailes, Fox News chairman and CEO, FOX News, said in a statement that Kucinich’s “willingness to take a stand from his point of view makes him a valuable voice in our country’s debate.” Kucinich is to make his debut as a contributor on Thursday night on “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Rove joined Fox as a contributor in February 2008, and has become famous for the handheld whiteboard that he uses when discussing electoral math during presidential races. He has a home in Texas, and often appears from Austin.

From Rove’s official biography: “Rove served as Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush from 2000–2007 and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004–2007. At the White House he oversaw the Offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison, and Intergovernmental Affairs and was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, coordinating the White House policy-making process. … Before Karl became known as ‘The Architect’ of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns, he was president of Karl Rove + Company, an Austin-based public affairs firm that worked for Republican candidates, non-partisan causes, and non-profit groups.

“His clients included over 75 Republican U.S. Senate, Congressional, and gubernatorial candidates in 24 states, as well as the Moderate Party of Sweden. … Karl writes a weekly op-ed for the Wall Street Journal and is the author of the … New York Times Bestseller, ‘Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight.’ … A Colorado native, he attended the University of Utah, the University of Maryland-College Park, George Mason University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Karl has taught graduate students at [the University of Texas] Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and undergraduates in a joint appointment from the Journalism and Government departments.”